Also, consider the financial environment in which player moves are gonna be made over the next couple of years.  I just heard Ric Bucher on the radio talking about how the Boston Celtics are one of the 15 teams that needed financial help, and how this is the last year of their window, and that they’re going to start breaking the team down next year, so that’s why they go after Starbury this year.  It would’ve been ludicrous thinking in the just-ended “Flip this House” era, but pretty sensible given what’s happening now.

* He was supposed to be a traditional point guard who could lead the offense, but it turns out he was at his best in Mo Cheeks’ fastbreak attack and motion offense.  Maybe he’s overrated as a point guard; he should’ve made Elton Brand and Carmelo Anthony better, but those two didn’t miss him at all, and I’m still waiting for him to “make his teammates better” here in Philly.

* Unlike you, I don’t think he’s done as badly in the NBA’s Runnin’ Rennaisance of the past decade.  When we first got a good, up-close look at the guy, you could tell right away – in the NBA Serengeti, this ain’t the fastest cheetah out there, and we know what usually happens to those guys.  But he’s survived, not by fending off those faster cheetahs, but when it’s his turn, he can do as much damage as they can.  In my opinion, against Detroit (a small sample, but a very important sample), he was one of two players (Willie Green) whose survival instincts kicked in, who fought hard AND smart, and didn’t have that (last animal analogy) deer-in-the-headlights look.

I still wish we had done that Portland trade.  Andre Miller is the present, and that present doesn’t include an NBA championship, so trade it for whatever value that has; there’s a reason Sergio Rodriguez’s potential was the best offer we got.  Also, I think he doesn’t come back at the end of the year, and probably goes to the Lakers (Lamar Odom comes off the books).  But he’s one of the few Sixers I’ve seen who actually got better when they got here; usually it’s the other way around.  I’m going to enjoy watching him while he’s here.  Here’s to a hard-fought first-round exit!

Speaking of draft talk: nbadraft.net is projecting Stephen Curry to the Sixers at 17. Is Curry really going to be available at 17?

I think your comparisons of Artest and Battier don’t address the point of the article.  No one would compare the athletic ability of Artest with Battier.  No one would expect Battier to take a final shot.  As an aside – one unique attribute of Artest (other than his penchant for punching fans in the face) is that his focus on defense is somewhat atypical for your standard NBA elite athlete.  The best NBA athletes are typically offensively focused for a variety of reasons ($$$ being one).   

Battier is a classsic overachiever whose results, while they don’t show in the box score, have significant value over the course of a season.  Value that may not be appropriately ascribed to him by the market. 

Too many Battier’s on a team will not yield a championship, but there can be an argument made that every team needs one or two of these “glue” guys and many of them may be hiding in plain sight.